Fan Feedback: Let’s Talk About Talk

One of the first “real” video games I played as a kid was Deus Ex, a cyberpunk conspiracy-thriller that is still beloved to this day. Now, prior to this, I’d played games like the Disney Animated Storybooks and Jazz Jackrabbit 2, but when seven-year-old me first saw Deus Ex? I was terrified of it right at the get go, because for the first time, I actually spoke to a character! The story wasn’t just something that happened around my experience, it was something that I actively participated in. Today, this is almost standard in major, AAA releases, but at the time the level of story interactivity in Deus Ex was revolutionary.

This week, we decided to ask you about how your game dialogue system of choice! It’s always fun to see these polls go differently than I’d expected. I knew choice-based dialogue would win out, but I would’ve expected silent protagonists to beat out scripted dialogue sequences! Then again, with games like The Last of Us and Grand Theft Auto V producing movie-quality scenes, it really is no wonder that this form of dialogue is on the rise in public opinion! I’m sure Gordon Freeman and Chell’s feelings aren’t hurt … too bad.

So, what does this mean for Gears of Eden? Well, truth be told, this poll came out of a conversation we’d been having the night before where we were figuring out just how we wanted dialogue to be handled. See, we’ve always imagined our game to feature a large cast of characters and perspectives on the world, but we never really knew how we wanted to handle the player’s interaction with them! Is there a scripted sequence every time he meets someone or they have a new thing to tell him? Or is it a more organic experience where the player maintains control during that conversation? Ideally, we’d love to have a fully mapped out, choice-based dialogue system, and we’re already playing around with that at a conceptual level to see if we can make it fit properly. If not, we’ll make sure that whatever path we do go down is still just as engaging!

That’s it for this week’s Fan Feedback! As always though, we have another question for you: how do you feel about sound in space in games? Do you love the romance of utter silence? Or do you think that might wear off after 10+ hours? Let us know, and we’ll be back next week to share our own thoughts on the matter! Until then, follow us on Twitter or Facebook for the latest and greatest on all things Gears of Eden, and we hope you have a fantastic rest of your week!

@gearsofeden

About Us

We are a team of developers, artists, writers, thinkers, dreamers and gamers. We've banded together, volunteering our efforts to bring you a free demo version of Gears of Eden. We're hoping you'll enjoy our unique vision for this story and game, and that with your support, we will be able to grow our humble demo into the full-scale game we envision.